AutoTaxCalculatorHow much does auto registration cost?
Auto registration cost depends on how your state sets the fee. In flat-fee states it's tens of dollars a year. In states that tax the car's value or MSRP through registration, a new car can cost several hundred dollars, falling every year as the car ages.
Almost every state uses one of four approaches, sometimes combining two:
- Flat fee: the same price for every car. Wisconsin ($85), Georgia ($20), Vermont ($89).
- By weight: heavier cars pay more. New York, Virginia, DC and South Dakota.
- By age: a few fixed tiers that drop as the car gets older. Montana and Oklahoma.
- By value or MSRP: a yearly tax on what the car cost new, reduced as it ages. Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, Wyoming, California's vehicle license fee and Massachusetts' excise.
Car registration cost by state compared
To compare states fairly, here's the yearly registration for one standard car: new, $35,000 MSRP and price, 3,800 lbs, gasoline. Sales tax and one-time title fees aren't included. Local add-ons are noted where they apply.
| State | How it's set | Example per year |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Flat (TAVT replaces yearly value tax) | $20.00 |
| Kentucky | Flat plate fee + yearly property tax | $21.00 + property tax |
| Tennessee | Flat plate fee + county wheel tax | $26.50 + wheel tax |
| Massachusetts | Flat ($60 for two years) + town excise | $30.00 + excise |
| Virginia | Weight (4,000 lbs or less) | $30.75 + local |
| New York | Weight ($64 for two years) | $32.00 + county |
| Louisiana | 0.1% of price per year ($70 for two years) | $35.00 |
| Florida | By weight (3,500 lbs and up) | $45.60 |
| Pennsylvania | Flat passenger fee ($96 for two years) | $48.00 |
| Alaska | $100 for two years + local MVRT | $50.00 + MVRT |
| West Virginia | Flat Class A fee | $51.50 |
| Rhode Island | Weight ($103.50 for two years with surcharges) | $51.75 |
| Oregon | By MPG ($136 for two years, 20–39 MPG) | $68.00 + county |
| New Mexico | Weight and age (over 3,000 lbs, first 5 years) | $71.50 |
| South Dakota | Weight and age | $72.00 + wheel tax |
| Idaho | Vehicle age ($69 for 1–2 years old) | $73.25 + county fees |
| New Jersey | Weight and age | $84.00 |
| Wisconsin | Flat | $85.00 + wheel tax |
| Vermont | Flat | $89.00 |
| North Dakota | Weight and year first registered | $93.00 |
| Oklahoma | Age tiers | $96.00 |
| Washington DC | Weight class | $175.00 |
| Hawaii | State + county weight tax | $190.50 (Big Island) to $414.00 (Oahu) |
| Michigan | List price schedule, stepped down 3 years | $216.00 |
| Montana | Age tiers + state fees | $236.00 + local option |
| Iowa | 1% of value + 40¢ per 100 lbs | $365.20 |
| Nevada | 4% of depreciated 35% of MSRP + $33 | $523.00 ($646 in Clark) |
| Minnesota | $10 + 1.575% of MSRP, by age | $561.25 + wheelage |
| Arizona | Vehicle license tax on 60% of MSRP | $597.50 |
| Wyoming | 3% of 60% of factory price + $30 | $660.00 |
| Colorado | Specific ownership tax on 85% of MSRP + fees | about $686 + base fee |
Value-based states drop fast. By its fifth year, the same car pays about $308 a year in Arizona and $395.88 in Minnesota. Our methodology page lists every formula.
More state registration calculators
These states have their own rules covered in full on their pages:
- California: registration and CHP fees, plus the 0.65% vehicle license fee and a transportation improvement fee that both depend on value.
- Texas: a base registration fee plus county fees, with every county's amount.
- Washington: weight-based fees, plus the RTA excise in the Sound Transit district.
- Massachusetts: registration plus a yearly motor vehicle excise of $25 per $1,000 of value.
- Maine: municipal excise tax by MSRP and model year, plus state registration.
- New Hampshire: a town permit fee by MSRP and model year, plus the state fee.
- Indiana: BMV excise tax by price class and age, plus registration.
- North Carolina, Connecticut and Utah: registration is covered alongside each state's purchase taxes.
Car registration renewal price
How much does renewing car registration cost? A renewal usually costs the same as the yearly fee above, without the one-time title and plate charges. Two things can raise it. Value-based states recalculate the tax every year, so the renewal goes down as the car ages. And late renewals cost extra: Wisconsin adds $10, Colorado $25 a month up to $100, and Nevada has no grace period at all. See car registration late fees by state for more states and expired tag tickets. A few states let you renew for two or more years at once. Virginia offers up to three, and New York and Oregon register cars for two years by default.
How much are new tags and plates?
"Tags" usually means the registration itself, and new license plates are a separate small charge when you first register. A few examples from state fee schedules:
| State | New plates |
|---|---|
| New York | $25.00 |
| Oregon | $26.00 |
| Montana (standard set) | $12.00 |
| Colorado (embossed set) | $7.38 |
| Wisconsin (per plate issuance) | $6.00 |
Moving your existing plates to another car is usually cheaper than new ones: $2 in Virginia, $3 in Louisiana, $4.50 in New Jersey, $10.50 in West Virginia and $30 in Oregon.
How much to change a license plate
Replacing or changing a plate you already have is a separate, small charge. Tag prices for a replacement in states we've checked:
| State | Plate change or replacement |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $10 replacement plate |
| Pennsylvania | $14 for a lost or stolen standard plate; $11 to transfer a plate |
| Rhode Island | $23.50 plate change (one plate), $43.50 for two |
| California | $28 replacement plates |
| Florida | $28 when a new metal plate is issued |
Where you use a private tag agency or messenger service instead of the state office, it adds its own service fee on top of the state amounts. Pennsylvania, for example, says online messenger and tag agent service charges vary by business.
How much to register a motorcycle or motorbike?
- Virginia: $24.75 a year
- Wisconsin: $23 for two years
- Nevada: $33 plus a $6 safety fee
- New Jersey: $65
- Oklahoma: $99 a year in the first four years, falling to $29 from year 17
- Montana: a one-time $53.25 plus a $16 safety fee
- Louisiana: $12 for four years
Registering a car you just bought
When you buy a car, registration is only part of the bill. Most states also charge sales tax or a titling tax on the price, plus a title fee. Each state page works as a tax, title and registration calculator for that state and covers the full tax, title and license total, or start from our all-states vehicle tax calculator. Deadlines vary: Oklahoma's excise tax is due within 30 days, South Dakota allows 45 days to title and register, and Colorado gives 60 days.
Frequently asked questions
Which states have the cheapest car registration?
Among the states compared here, Georgia ($20), Virginia ($30.75 for most cars), New York (about $32 a year before county use tax) and Louisiana (0.1% of the price per year) are the cheapest for a new $35,000 car.
Why does my registration drop every year?
If your state includes a value-based tax, it's figured on the original MSRP and reduced by an age schedule, so it gets cheaper each year until it hits a floor.
Is a DMV used car calculator different from a new car one?
The same formula covers both. Used cars just fall into a later age bracket, which lowers the registration in states that charge by age or value.